Republicans and Evolution

Whether or not the Earth rotates around the Sun depends on whether it was said by a Republican or a Democrat. Were a Republican to say that Sun actually revolves around the Earth because God is on our side and because it keeps us safe – this would instantly become factual to a member of the base.

The scary thing is that it’s moved from political leaders pandering to a group of voters in order to get elected – to the group of voters actually electing people who are now no longer pandering, but actually believe this stuff. In the primaries for the 2008 presidential election, no less than three Republican presidential candidates said they reject evolution during a televised debate. (They believe that humans were placed here in current form 5,000 years ago and that anything suggesting there was life prior to 5,000 years ago is in error. Which means that dinosaurs and man were living together. But I digress).

According to a 2007 Gallup poll, the majority of Republicans reject evolution. That’s a good group to be a part of. So, more than half – it’s shocking to think that 1 of every 2 Republicans rejects evolution. But that’s not the case, it’s more than 2 out of 3 Republicans who reject evolution (68%). Compared to the number of Democrats, this is a 70% increase. That number alone would make it nearly impossible for me to be a Republican, I’d simply be too embarassed to associate myself with such myopic, tiny views. I can barely fathom how 250 years ago people believed the world was flat. I really can’t imagine how nearly 70% of America’s largest political party doesn’t believe in human evolution.

Source: Gallup.com

The other startling thing is the total number of Americans who reject evolution. While it is much lower in Independents and Democrats, the overall number is still very large. So large, that of 35 Western countries, the USA has highest rate of rejection evolution than any other Western country except Turkey. Turkey. Our scientific belief on this issue is sandwiched between Turkey and Cyprus. That’s below Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia. And it’s miles away from our counterparts who are near the top: England, France, Japan, Germany. In the UK, roughly 70% of the citizens believe in evolution. In the USA, roughly 25%. The French outnumber Americans in this belief by 3 to 1.